August 23, 2012Rick Bartow discusses "We Were Always Here", his monumental sculptural commission for the National Museum of the American Indian, in the Oregonian

Lori Tobias writes:

Newport artist Rick Bartow's 'pole sculptures' will stand in place of honor in Washington, D.C.

NEWPORT -- In a single-story building, in a space known to grow so cold in the winter, noses drip and fingers stiffen, Rick Bartow sculpts the work he calls "the cherry on his lifetime cake."

"We Were Always Here" is a pair of 20-feet-plus tall wooden poles chiseled and carved and coaxed for nearly a year, now ready for their debut next month at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

They will face the Washington Monument overlooking the National Mall on Jefferson Drive, says Eileen Maxwell, museum spokeswoman.

"You have the Washington Monument at one end of the mall and Rick Bartow's poles at the other end of the mall," she says. "It's designed that way. It's a signal. It's a welcoming pole, which is a tradition in Native American culture."

Please follow the link below to read the full article and watch a short video interview with Rick Bartow.